Can't re-install Windows XP on Cyber Power PC

[Manny]

Hi folks

I'm new here and sure hope someone can help. I should warn you that I'm a Mac user and my knowledge of PCs is limited.

I bought my son a Cyber Power PC in January 2006. It has 512 MB RAM and is running Windows XP.

The PC stopped working about 5 weeks ago. Initially we got an error message that read:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\system32\config\SYSTEM

I have called tech support repeatedly. First they implied that it was my fault something I really didn't appreciate.

Next they told me to wipe the hard drive, repartition and re-install Windows.

I tried that three times but each time the progress bar got to 100% the system would stop and nothing else would happen.

Cyber Power then said to run a MemTest. I ran the memtest for 24 hours and it came up with zero errors.

When I reported that to CyberPower they said it could still be the RAM stick so they shipped a new one to me.

I installed the RAM stick but now the progress bar only goes to 1% and just stays there.

I called tech support again. As soon as I told the tech about the new RAM stick hanging at 1% he said "It's your hard drive. Would you like me to send out a new one?"

So at this point I'm waiting for FedEx to show up with the hard drive.

As I said earlier I'm a Mac user and I don't know any PC savy people to turn to so I thought I'd come here. Please forgive me if my questions seem dumb or overly suspicious but this has been going on for almost five weeks.

I only have two questions:

1: Do the above procedures make sense? Some of the techs I've spoken to act like they will say anything just to get off the phone which is why I'm getting suspicious.

2: Am I right in assuming that I can ask for the the Windows XP OS disc without being charged for it? I paid for it when I bought the PC and Cyber Power installed the OS before shipping it to me.

(I seem to remember reading that while the recovery disc does have the OS the recovery disc isn't quite the same as having the 'regular' Windows install disc.)

I asked Cyber Power if I could get the Windows install disc and they said no they can only give me the recovery disc.

I apologize for being so long winded but I'm getting desperate and don't know where to turn.

Can anyone help?

Thanks folks,
Manny

PS: I sure hope I posted this in the right forum!

[chrisling]

O...Recently I did fix a problem just like yours. You can do it base on a article from Microsoft company. It's HERE (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307545/en-us) . For easier solution, if you have your Windows installation CD, try repair it with XP'sNoFormat. There are several posts and threads the procedure in this forum, try seach it if you want so. :)

[classicsoftware]

When you have an OEM setup with a restore CD, that's the only option you have. It will install the system exactly the way it was when you got it from the factory.

I would search for posts by sylvander about Backing up your drive and then you can re-install yourself if you ever run into this problem again.

Unfortunately, the restore CD is Microsoft's answer to rampant privacy. The restore is tied to the system so it can't be easily pirated.

[Manny]

Thank you chrisling and classicsoftware for taking the time to write.

Since my original post I have tried to partition and install the OS again.

This time the progress bar made it all the way to 100% but I have a new error message that reads:

Setup cannot copy the file: nvatabus.sys
To retry, press enter
To skip this file, press Esc
CAUTION: If you skip this file, Setup may not complete and Windows XP may not work properly.
To quit setup, press F3

I pressed enter to retry but the same message came up.

Where do I go from here?

[classicsoftware]

Skip the files and note each and every one of them. We can locate them later. Let's get Windoze up and running first.

[Manny]

Ok, I skipped the files and got a new surprise at the end.

First here's the list of files Setup could not find:

nvatabus.sys
nvatabus.sys
pataraid\nvata.bus.inf
pataraid\nvata.bus.inf
idecoi.dll
idecoi.dll
nvata.cat
cyycoins.chm
kodak_dc.icm
usbcamd2.sys
wowfax.dll
usrcntra.dll
usrsdpia.dll
usrsvpia.dll

However, after the last file was copied I was confronted with this rather unsettling screen:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode.

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x0000000A (0x00000002, 0x000000FF, 0x00000000, 0x801978DE



I haven't installed any new hardware or software and I don't know the procedure for disabling BIOS memory options.

Also, is Safe Mode something I access from the Recovery Disk?

[classicsoftware]

See if you can boot into safe mode.

[Manny]

I cannot boot into Safe Mode. Pressing or holding down F8 has no effect.

[Paul Komski]

Regardless of what you have been told it sounds like you are installing Windows from an OEM WinXP installation CD and not from a restoration image file. Is there an i386 folder on that CD about 500-600 mb in size and containing setup.exe and winnt.exe files?

If there are problems copying those files then the CDROM could be dirty or scratched.

[Manny]

Hi there

Thanks for taking the time to write.

I checked the disk for scratches or dirt but it's as clean as clean can be.

The techs at CyberPower have referred to the CD that came with the computer as a "Recovery Disk" and as an "OEM".

These are the files I see when I open the CD:

README.HTM
release.txt
AUTORUN.INF
DOCS
WIN51
I386
VALUEADD
SETUP.EXE
$OEM$
WIN51IC
WIN51IC.SP2
SETUPXP.HTM
SUPPORT

As you can see there is a folder titled i386 and there is a winnt.exe file in that folder. I do not see a setup.exe file within the i386 folder only in the list above. The closest I could find inside the i386 folder is listed as SETUP.EX_

Here is a list of the files starting with "setup" contained in i386:

SETUP_WM.EX_
SETUP_W.BM_
SETUPREG.HIV
SETUPQRY.IN_
SETUPQRY.DL_
SETUPP.INI
SETUPLDR.EX_
SETUPLDR.BIN
SETUPDLL.DL_
SETUPDD.SY_
SETUPAPI.DL_
SETUPACC.TXT
SETUP50.EX_
SETUP16.IN_
SETUP.EX_

[Nino_53]

HI, I do not know about Cyber power.. but it happens ofthen for HP or Dell machines.
You have the original windows CD?!, you myght need the CD (drivers) thath came with the machine; you need a fresh install, BUT first UPGRADE your MEMORY. If your video (sound,etc.) is on the board.... 1gig memory ill do the trik.

[Paul Komski]

Try running the install from the hard drive by copying the i386 there and running winnt from inside it from DOS. If the files copy across OK they are probably not corrupt and a HDD install generally runs smoother than a CD install.

http://www.iol.ie/~krakowangus/winnt.htm (http://www.iol.ie/%7Ekrakowangus/winnt.htm)

The specific Dell drivers etc wont get copied since they would normally be transferred from the $OEM$ folder when running setup.exe but that can be addressed later with any luck.

[Manny]

Hi Paul

I'm sorry but I am confused. The instructions for copying the i386 file say:

"Copy the i386 folder from the WinXP installation CD to a FAT32 partition (at least 600MB in size for WinXP SP2). Then run winnt.exe from inside that i386 folder on the Hard Drive from a DOS boot floppy diskette."

To create the FAT32 partition I have to

"Directly download bootitng.zip_(630k), unzip and then run bootitng.exe to create the floppy or cd and boot to it, cancel the first setup prompt and from maintenance mode enter partition work to "get busy"."

The only other computer I have is a Macintosh that does not have a floppy drive.

How do I "download bootitng.zip_(630k), unzip and then run bootitng.exe" when I'm using a Mac without a floppy?

[rlopez]

Hello

I have been reading about the Issue that you have. what you can do if you want to wipe out your Hard drive, "Clean Uninstall' by runing this Debug commands. I work at Dell computers and this process has worked almost all the times. { this are the steps provided by Microsoft: http://www.fdisk.com/fdisk/clr-part.txt but we have tested the dell process and seems to be more effective ! }

anyways here is the information on how to do this. ***Note that this will delete ALL THE INFORMATION (PARTITIONS) IN YOUR HARD DRIVE***.

Boot to Win98SE startup disk (It is the best OS made boot disk ever). Type in debug at the A: prompt.

Enter in the following commands:
__________________________________________________ ___________________
*** KEY TO FOLLOW THIS INFO:
xxxx:0100 = what is displayed on the screen. (DO NOT TYPE THIS IN!)
WHAT IS IN CAPITAL LETTERS (example: MOV AX,301 ) = what you type in.
(ENTER) = press ENTER KEY
<--- = this is useful information. (DO NOT TYPE THIS IN!)
_ = Cursor
__________________________________________________ _____________

-F 220 L1000 0 (ENTER)

-A CS: 100 (ENTER)

xxxx:0100 MOV AX,301 (ENTER)

xxxx:0103 MOV BX,200 (ENTER)

xxxx:0106 MOV CX,1 (ENTER)

xxxx:0109 MOV DX,80 (ENTER) <---"80" for hd1, "81" for hd2 >

xxxx:010C INT 13 (ENTER)

xxxx:010E INT 20 (ENTER)

xxxx:0110 (ENTER) <-------BLANK LINE "VERY IMPORTANT" >

-G (ENTER)

Program terminated normally

PRESS: (CTRL) + (ALT) + (DEL) KEYS to reboot system


Now you have to f-disk and format and reinstall the operating system. : )

Any questions regarding this procedure you are welcome to ask me.

[Paul Komski]

unzip and then run bootitng.exe
Since bootitng.exe is a windows program you will need access to a windows PC to run it. Then use the iso file it makes to burn to make a bootable CD if you dont want to make the bootable floppy. You dont say whether the Windows PC has a floppy drive or not.

There may be ways to emulate Windows from a Mac but that is not something I am not up to speed with. You should be able to make a FAT partition on the PC using fdisk and format from a DOS-based Startup Diskette (eg for Win98 and with CDROM support) or indeed from most non-upgrade Windows installation CDs themselves or with a 3rd Party Application such as BiNG or Partition Magic.

You can get various "Non-Windows Based Image Files W/ImageApp (http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm)" which are however also zip files or a self-extractor to make a Win98SE boot floppy (http://www.msu-hb.de/download/boot98se.exe) from the same page but being an executable you would also need access to a pc to run it.

If you actually have been getting options about where to install the OS from your Windows CD (which is implied by the partitioning instructions already given from your tech support) then you should be able to create a FAT partition BUT THEN back-out prior to installing WinXP onto that partition. With OEM setups this may not be an option when running setup.exe but should be OK if running the i386\winnt.exe.

[Manny]

Thanks Paul and thanks rlopez.

I've had two interesting developments in the last 24 hours. A coworker was kind enough to lend me her copy of Win98 - the original installation disk and a bootable floppy.

I also received an email from Cyber Power informing me that a new hard drive will finally arrive tomorrow (Wednesday).

I haven't had a chance to work on the PC today but I plan to before the new drive shows up. I'm curious to find out if it will boot from Win98.

I'll be back with a progress report and for more advice as well.

Thanks for all the help folks!

[ErnieK]

To get into safe mode try pressing the F5 key as this is what is required on my PC it might also be usable for yours.

The following links are for troubleshooting 0x000000A errors

MS 1 (this page was updated by MS on 10th August 2006)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314063/

MS 2 (this page is from November 2003 and is for UPGRADING windows but there might be some useful info there)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311564/

Google list (the above two links are the first 2 in line from this list)
http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=0x0000000A&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8